Dror Benshetrit Israeli-born designer Dror Benshetrit has certainly found his niche in the design world over the last decade. As the owner of Studio Dror in New York City, Dror specializes in product design, architecture projects, interior design, graphic design, and art direction. He began his education at the Eindhoven Design Academy in Holland and has since excelled in capturing the movement in nature for his design projects. According to his own biography, “Dror observes the world from an inquisitive eye, seeking responses to the needs of our modern lifestyle. Each project starts with questions and triggers an immersive investigation.” Indeed, when you look into his penetrating eyes, you get a sense of his inquisitive nature and you wonder how he sees what no one else can create. Obviously, he’s doing something right. He has produced works for Alessi, Bentley, Boffi, Bombay Sapphire, Cappellini, Kiehl’s, Levi’s, Lualdi, Material ConneXion, Maya Romanoff, Marithй + Franзois Girbaud, Puma, Rosenthal, Skins Footwear, Yigal Azrouлl, Shvo, Swarovski, and Target.
Dror’s design pieces are slightly irreverent, sometimes whimsy, and always surprising. His cracked martini glass and shattered Vase of Phases for Rosenthal in 2005 are interesting displays of transformation, from objects that seem easily breakable into items that maintain their strength and dignity even through brutal violence. More recently, in 2009, Dror produced a line of bedding, furniture, and stationery for Target. The limited edition line was refined and elegant and yet playful and eye-catching. Clearly, we can continue to expect a lot from Dror and his collective design team. From product inventions to interior design and even architectural endeavors, the studio is unstoppable, and I believe that we haven’t even seen the best yet. Dror’s work is included in the permanent collections of major museums in North America, Europe and the Middle East. He is currently represented by Culture and Commerce, Inc., an agency representing design luminaries including Yves Behar, Philippe Starck and Marcel Wanders (one of our favorites!). Watch this space to find out what is next on Dror’s very busy design itinerary.
Carolyn Breit
